Professional Ethics

Module 2

Readings: Chapter 2 of the text

book.
 Todays Topics

• Dimensions of Engineering
• Dilemma & Ethical Dilemma
– Study of the prisoner’s dilemma and various
ethical dilemmas
• Case Study of the Aluminum Can design
and the moral values involved
Dimensions of Engineering

• Product develops from a mental concept to

physical completion
• Set of activities
• Engineers encounter both moral and technical
problems concerning:
• Variability in the materials available to them
• The quality of work by coworkers at all levels
• Pressures imposed by time and the
marketplace
• Relationships of authority within corporations
Progression of Engineering Tasks
 Shortcomings of Engineers
• Lack of Vision, in which vision is biased towards any particular
alternative & overlooks suitable alternatives, and in form of
Groupthink promotes acceptance at expense of critical thinking.
• Incompetence, among engineers carrying out technical tasks.
• Lack of time or lack of proper materials, both ascribable to poor
management.
• A Silo(storage tower) mentality, that keeps information isolated
rather than shared across departments.
• Dishonesty in any activity or pressure of management to take
short cuts.
• In-attention to how the product is performing after it is sold.
 Tasks Possible Problems
Conceptual Design Blind to new concepts. Violation of patents or trade secrets. Product to be used
illegally.
Goals; Performance Specs Unrealistic assumptions. Design depends on unavailable or untested materials.
Preliminary analysis Uneven: too much details in designer’s area of expertise, marginal elsewhere.
Detailed analysis Uncritical use of data based on unidentified methodologies.
Simulation, prototyping Testing done under most favorable condition or not completely.
Design Specification Too tight for adjustments during manufacture & use.
Scheduling of tasks Promise of unrealistic completion date.
Purchasing Biasness to one vendor, bribes, kickbacks. Inadequate testing for purchased parts.
Fabrication of Parts Variable quality of materials & workmanship. Bogus materials & components not
detected.
Assembly / construction Workplace safety. Disregard of repetitive-motion stress on workers.
Quality Control / Testing Not independent, controlled by production manger.
Advertising & Sales False advertising. Product oversold beyond client’s needs or means.
Installation, Training Installation & training subcontracted out, inadequately supervised.
Safety measures & Devices Reliance on more complex devices. Lack of simple safety measures.
Use Used inappropriately.
Maintenance, Parts, Inadequate supply of spare parts. Hesitation to recall product when found to be faulty.
Repairs
Monitoring Effects of No formal procedure for following life cycle of product, effects on society &
Product environment.
Recycling / Disposal Lack of attention to disposal of product, public notification of hazards.
 Senses of Corporate Responsibility

• As we have been discussing responsibilities for individuals, same

can be considered for corporate.
• Just as individuals have responsibilities, so do corporations.
They have internal structures, each employee has some certain
responsibilities and when all act in unity they represent the whole
corporation.
• Just as individuals are accountable for their obligations, so
corporations are accountable to general public & stakeholders.
• It is clear in context that accountability for wrongdoing is at issue,
“responsible” becomes synonym for blameworthy and
praiseworthy for vise-versa.
 Dilemma
• A situation in which a difficult choice has to
be made between two or more alternatives,
especially ones that are equally
undesirable.
• Next, we present a dilemma called
`prisoners dilemma`.
• Not related to ethics!!!!
 Prisoners Dilemma
• Dilemma involves two prisoners, A & B, caught in suspicion of a crime
• If A and B both betray each other, each serves 2 years in prison
• If A betrays B but B remains silent, A will be set free and B will serve 3 years in prison (and vice versa)
• If A and B both remain silent, both of them will only serve 1 year in prison (on the lesser charge)
Note: No communication is possible between the two prisoners & both persons are highly rational, i.e., both
will try to maximize their own utility(lesser prison’s sentence)
Prisoners Dilemma-Solution

??????
 Moral/Ethical Dilemmas
• Ethical (or moral) dilemmas are situations
in which moral reasons come into conflict,
or in which the applications of moral values
are unclear, and it is not immediately
obvious what should be done.
• Situations in which two or more moral
obligations, duties, rights, or ideals come into
conflict.
• Example???
Ethical Dilemma-An Example (1)
 Ethical Dilemma-An Example (2)
Alan works in the claims department of a major hospital.
Paperwork on a recent admission shows that a shocking
assault caused the patient to require an adjustment in the
medication she is prescribed to control anxiety and mood
swings. Alan is struck by the patient’s unusual last name
and upon checking her employment information realizes
she is one of his daughter’s grade school teachers. Alan’s
daughter seems very happy in her school and he cannot
violate patient confidentiality by informing the school of a
teacher’s mental illness but he is not comfortable with a
potentially unstable person in a position of influence and
supervision over his eight year old daughter. Can Alan
settle these issues in an ethical manner?
 Design Aluminum Cans- A case study
• Approximately, 100 billion are produced in the
United States each year.
• First can designed in 1958 by Kaiser Aluminum
Co., in the attempt to improve on heavier and
more expensive tin cans.
• Are lightweight, flexible material from a single
sheet, leaving the top to be added after the can
was filled.
• Design decision: Make the can strong enough to
keep the pressurized liquid inside, while being
thin enough to be cost-effective.
• The can also had to fit conveniently in the hand
and reliably satisfy customers’ needs.
• Design Improved gradually to shape the inward-
dished bottom for high stability.
 Aluminum Cans-Gradual Improvement in Design
• The first aluminum cans were opened with a separate
opener
• Required additional manufacturing costs for openers
• Separate openers when not available caused
inconvenience
• Design for a small lever that was attached to the can but
which was removed as the can opened.
• The idea proved workable and was quickly embraced by
manufacturers.
• Gradual improvements were made over subsequent
years to ensure easy opening and prevention of lip and
nose injuries from the sharp edges of the opening.
 Aluminum Cans-Gradual Improvement and Moral
Values

• Discarded pull tabs caused pollution, foot injuries,

and harm to fish and infants who ingested them.
• The dilemma was what to do to balance usefulness
to consumers with protection of the environment.
• In 1976, Daniel F. Cudzik invented a simple, stay-
attached opener of the sort familiar today to solve
this dilemma
• Broader problem of pollution from cans themselves
prompted recycling programs
• Improvement in design and recycling still underway
 Aluminum Cans-Gradual Improvement and Moral
Values (1)

• These developments illustrate how engineering

progresses by learning from design failures—that
is, designs that cause unacceptable risks or
other problems.
• At each stage of the design process, engineers
are preoccupied with what might go wrong.
• The hope is to anticipate and prevent failures,
drawing on knowledge about past failures.
 Aluminum Cans-Gradual Improvement and Moral
Values (2)
• Our interest:
– How moral values were embedded in the design process at all
stages
– Explicit ethical dilemmas concerning the environment
• Moral values entered implicitly into the decision-making process of
engineers and their managers
• Decisions that probably appeared to be purely technical or purely
economic.
• Decisions had moral dimensions in four general directions:
– Safety
– Environmental protection
– Consumer usefulness
– Economic benefits
 Aluminum Cans-Gradual Improvement and Moral
Values (3)
Safety
• Human safety is obviously a moral value, rooted directly in
the moral worth of human beings
• Some aspects in design regarding safety seem minor, e.g.,
– Slight cuts to lips and noses from poorly designed
openers
– Minor feet injuries in the areas such as beaches
• However, minor injuries might cause infections, and even by
themselves they have some moral significance
• Various kinds of poisoning might occur unless all materials
were tested under a range of conditions
• Automobile accidents due to cans exploding- very rare but
needs extensive testing
 Aluminum Cans-Gradual Improvement and Moral
Values (4)
Environment
• Level of hazards to people walking with bare feet
• Injuries to fish and other wildlife
• Environmental pollution from aluminum cans and their openers
Consumer Usefulness
• Moral values are masked under terms such as useful and convenient
products
• Water as an essential need & access to pleasant drinking liquids
contributes to human well being
• Aesthetic values pertaining to the shape and appearance of cans have
some relevance to satisfying human desires
 Aluminum Cans-Gradual Improvement and Moral
Values (5)
Economic Benefits
• Money matters & it matters morally
• Jobs provide the livelihood for workers and their families that
contribute to happiness—and survival
• The corporation’s success contributes as well to the livelihood of
suppliers and retailers, as well as to stockholders